Priceless
by TheMasterofDespair
Summary: Do words hurt more than actions? One filly seems to think so, but she's usually the one giving the insults. But one insult will send this little filly on the biggest journey of her life. However, with the news of her disappearance, a hefty reward is afforded for her safe return. This reward seems to catch the attention of many ponies, including a washed up showmare.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. But someday I will, Bwahahaha!

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><p><strong>Priceless<strong>

**By**

**TheMasterofDespair**

**Prologue**

Cold, distraught, and saddened could seemingly describe the young filly that sat on the deck of the train station, watching the gloomy night sky. The filly's purple and white mane brushed gently against her pale magenta coat as the wind softly blew by. Perched on top of her head was a small tiara of which was identical to her cutie mark.

Beside her was a small bag that held only a hoofful of bits. At the edge of her teeth she held a small yellow ticket, although half of the ticket was concealed, what could be read was the word -hattan.

Rarely did anypony take the night train in Ponyville, making it quiet unnerving to be around this hour. But the eerie atmosphere didn't seem to bother this filly. Her mind seemed to be locked on the stars above.

_"Well, what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?" Diamond then moved closer towards Babs, until their noses were practically touching. Their eyes were locked, either of them refusing to back down._

_ Babs's ire stare however soon began to relax, to which she finally spoke. "Tell your mothers about your bad attitudes!"_

Diamond shook her head, trying to her best to ignore that particular memory. Ever since she had heard it, it refused to leave her mind.

Her eyes now moved away from the sky, and down towards the train tracks. She wished the train would arrive already, but for whatever reason it seemed to be late.

With her thoughts still racing within her head, she involuntarily started to count every wooden plank on the railroad. She counted them one by one, from where she sat, until she could not see them anymore.

_Soaked in mud, and missing her tiara, she marched home. Her once smug smirk now gleamed of both sorrow and fury. Too many thoughts were burning through her skull, she felt as though she couldn't keep up. All she wished now was to be home, away from the source of her anger._

_ "Diamond, wait up," called a familiar voice, so familiar she didn't bother turning around to see who it was. The grey filly that was also soaked by mud, finally caught up to her. In her mouth she was holding Diamond's tiara, even though it was tarnished by the mud it still managed to sparkle in the sunlight._

_ "What a jerk. I guess once a blank flank always one, right."_

_ Her comment didn't seem to faze Diamond. She just ignored her and continuing walking home._

_ "Look Diamond, maybe we should talk about it."_

_ "Talk about what? That Babs is a backstabbing jerk."_

"_N-no, I mean what she said."_

"_What does it matter? Its history, just leave me alone."_

_"Diamond, I just want to help."  
><em>

_ "I don't really care. If you really want to help me, then stay out of my face."_

_ "D-Diam..."_

_ "Shut up, just shut up! I don't want to hear your stupid voice anymore!" Diamond's shouting seemed to finally get Silver Spoon to back down. She remained almost frozen in position, watching Diamond run home._

Diamond let out a soft sigh. She had grown bored of counting the railroad planks over and over again, and was looking for something else to pass the time.

She closed her eyes, and envisioned images of whatever her mind could conjure up. She tried to ignore any displeasing thoughts, and just focus on whatever made her happy. But her mind seemed to be clouded by hatred.

Her daydreaming however was soon shattered, by a nearby noise. By Instinct, see turned her head to face the train station. She knew it was just her imagination, but she almost wished somepony was there. That somepony had noticed her departure, and was here to bring her back home.

_She tried her best to hold back her tears, but the more she spoke, the more her crying became evident. "Why did she leave?"_

_ As much as he wanted to answer her question, Filthy Rich was at a loss of words. The only thing he could think to say was, "All she told me was that she wasn't happy. She wanted to start a new life, a new beginning."_

_ "B-but I don't remember her. I don't even know what she looks like."_

_ "I understand. You were so young when she left. Blue Amber was a great mare, and I really wish she was still here."_

_ "D-do you know where she went?"_

_ "Last I heard she was living in Manehattan, but that was a long time ago._

"_But she could still be there, right."_

"_It's possible, yes."_

The silence that filled the night air began to fade, as a loud roar pierced from the distance. The mighty roar was soon joined by a blazing light of which shined ever so brightly. She could hear the screech from the brakes as it was crawling to a stop.

Immediately as it arrived the doors swung open, leaving a somewhat welcoming presence. But Diamond remained still, glaring unfeelingly at the open door. Her very fear was now keeping her from moving. She knew the train would only be there for a few minutes, so she had to act quickly.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax. She never left Ponyville before, at least not on her own. The only time she was ever away from home was the rare occasions that her father brought her along on his business trips.

Pushing aside her fear, Diamond grabbed her bag, and leisurely approached the train. She took small steps at first, but as she got closer and closer, her steps got bigger, until she lastly reached the door.

Once she was in the train she started to calm down, she knew this was only the beginning of her journey, so she had to be strong. She handed her ticket to the conductor, and made up a lie to disguise the fact that she was running away.

Within a couple of minutes the doors began to shut; now sealing her new found destiny. Diamond took a seat on one of the benches, staring out the window as the train moved forward. She watched as Ponyville faded into the distance, and began to plan her new life in the big city.


	2. Day 1

**Day 1**

The morning sun had arisen once again, waking Diamond from her slumber. She looked out the window of the train, but the only thing she could see was a crowd of ponies waiting for the train doors to open.

Quickly she grabbed her belongings and scurried to the doors. When the doors had finally opened, she felt a little intimidated by all the ponies. There seemed to be more ponies in this train station alone than in all of Ponyville. Keeping her cool she moved ahead, passing the overwhelming crowd until she reached the exit.

Once she stepped foot outside of the train station she stopped, took a breath of fresh air, and marveled at the beauty of Manehattan. Since the sun was just rising, it cast a magnificent glow across the entire city. The city was gorgeous. It seemed as though it was something out of a dream. It was truly more amazing than she had imagined it would be.

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><p>Back in Ponyville, Filthy Rich had just woken up and was now getting ready for one of his usual business trips. He hadn't yet noticed his daughter's disappearance. He just assumed she was still fast asleep in her bed. He was gathering up all of his paperwork, taking a sip of coffee every couple of seconds. The mansion seemed surprisingly quiet, aside from the maids who were tidying up the household.<p>

At last he finished sorting the paperwork and put the remaining documents away. Slowly he closed the briefcase; it was then that he noticed a small note taped to the side. Curious, he removed the note and read it to himself.

He was utterly shocked from what he read so much so that he could barely even finish reading the note. It seemed like some kind of joke. It felt too ridiculous to believe. But the very idea that his precious diamond had run away was too horrifying to disregard. Without hesitation he hurried to Diamond's room, and to his dismay he found that she was nowhere in sight.

He gathered up all of his staff and had them search every square inch of the household, remaining in denial that the letter might actually be true.

They searched high and low, but even after an hour they still could not find her. Filthy Rich was starting to become desperate, he couldn't fathom the idea that something bad could happen to her. He needed to know that she was safe, but the note didn't mention where she was going, most likely because she didn't want him to find her.

Each passing second became more anxious than the last. He just didn't understand why she would just leave. He always thought that she was happy. What would cause her to just run away all of a sudden?

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><p>Diamond's eyes were glowing brighter than the sun as she marched down the sidewalk of the busy city streets. She could barely keep her eyes in front of her. They were too busy gazing in every direction. The building, the birds, the ponies, it was a perfect wonderland of greatness. She was so glad no one she knew was here to see her acting this way, oohing and awing in such an uncharacteristic manner.<p>

She moved past pony after pony, not caring who was in her way. In the mix of her travels, she came to a halt. Something had caught her attention, something she just had to see. Racing to the front window of a nearby building, she saw a manikin of pony looking out at her. The manikin was dressed up in a beautiful ruby red gown. It was more gorgeous than anything she saw in Ponyville. Even Rarity would have been envious of it.

Softly she placed both of her front hooves on the glass window. She felt hypnotized by its beauty. Breaking away from its spell, she gazed down at the bag she was carrying. She took a second to rekindle her thoughts, giving her a chance to walk away from the building. She knew she only had so many bits on her, and it would be best to use them sparingly.

Again she advanced down the crowded sidewalk, trying her best to keep herself from getting distracted. She pressed onward, at least up until she had reached the end of the sidewalk. Wondering where the sidewalk had gone to, she only then noticed that it continued on the other side of the street.

Not noticing or even so much as caring about the crosswalk, she just blissfully moved forward. It wasn't until she was halfway across the street when she a loud rumbling sound advancing in her direction.

She looked to her right only to see a horse-drawn carriage blazing right for her. In a feat of panic, she jolted back the way she came. Even after escaping the first carriage, she found herself mere inches from being run over by another carriage on the other side of the street.

She remained in the middle of the street frozen in terror as the traffic increased. Too frightened to move, the only thing she thought to do was curl up into a ball and pray for the chaos to stop.

Unbeknownst to her, the traffic pony had now switched the traffic signs, which finally brought her nightmare to an end. Seeing that the noise had died down, she lifted one of her hooves off her eyes to see that she was now safe. With no carriages in sight, she got up off the street and immediately dashed towards the sidewalk.

Once she was safely on the sidewalk, she quickly took a moment to catch her breath. She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. After a couple of minutes she was at last able to relax. She took another look back at the street, and in a graceful manner she proceeded forward, pretending as though nothing had happened.

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><p>Just a few blocks away, the doors to the Hoof Care Center flung open. Practically being thrown out of the building was a blue unicorn, who bore the image of a wand surrounded by the glow of sparkling magic on her flank.<p>

As soon as the pony was just a couple of feet away from the building, the doors slammed shut. With anger in her voice the unicorn shouted as loudly as she could, hoping she was loud enough for the ponies inside to hear her.

"Trixie is too good for this job anyway! Trixie is not going to waste her time on some meaningless, dead end job like this! Trixie doesn't need anything from anypony!" "Trixie..." She halted a moment to catch her breath, "Trixie needs a drink." With nothing more to say Trixie proudly turned her back towards the building, flipped her mane back, and in an elegant fashion trotted away.

Too distracted by her anger, Trixie did not notice a large gathering of Pegasi flying right above the city. Strapped to the back of each Pegasus was a saddlebag, each of which seemed to be overflowing with fliers.

One by one the Pegasi separated from the group and swooped down into the city. A lone Pegasus hastily came to a stop right beside a utility pole. He took out a poster and stapled it to the pole, after which he quickly flew off.

Each Pegasus proceeded as such, placing hundreds of posters all across Manehattan. With the natural speed of the Pegasi, the group had covered most of the city with posters in less than twenty minutes. After the Pegasi had finished with this area they swiftly regrouped and flew off to another location.

Only mere seconds after the group had departed, a certain pink filly roamed by. She cheerfully skipped across the sidewalk, without so much as even glancing at the posters they had left.

Diamond continued to skip happily, only coming to a halt when she had reached the end of the sidewalk once again. Remembering what had happened the last time she had tried to cross the street, she quickly gazed around for a safe way to cross. Her eyes caught sight of a crowd of ponies, all of which were waiting at the crosswalk. Figuring this was the only safe way across, she walked over towards the gathering crowd.

On the opposing side of the street, waiting impatiently among the crowd was Trixie. She wasn't all that fond of crowds, except when they were fans seeking her autograph, but lately that seemed to be quite a rarity.

As soon as the traffic pony allowed them to walk, the two sides moved forward, as though they were armies charging at each other. Diamond felt lost among the crowd. Being a filly in a crowd of adult ponies made it almost impossible to see where she was going.

She watched her steps carefully, afraid that somepony may step on her. Distracted by the ponies around her, she failed to notice the ones coming from ahead. Without any warning she collided into a certain blue unicorn. Although it was Diamond's fault, she found herself to be the one yelling.

"Watch where you're going, you blind old mule!"

"You are the clumsy one who bumped into Trixie. Also, Trixie is no mule! She is a beautiful mare."

"Puh-lease, beauty left you centuries ago."

"Hey, Trixie is not one to take insults from arrogant little foals."

"You're right. I should really learn to respect my elders." Without saying another word Diamond flipped her mane back, proudly walked pass her, feeling she had won their little argument. Just to humiliate Trixie further, Diamond had her tail brush across Trixie's face, as she walked by.

Furious, but not wanting to make a bigger scene out of this mess, Trixie walked away. They both then left in opposite directions, each trying to act more boastful than the other. It was in no time the two disappeared among the surrounding crowds.

Diamond was overjoyed to be back on the sidewalk once again, away from the mindless crowds and carriages. But even so, she still had no idea where she was going. She began to realize that every corner of this city looked almost identical. It was just an endless stream of buildings.

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><p>Now that Trixie had finally reached her destination, she was returning home, levitating a strawberry slushy as she proceeded. She took a big slurp from her slushy. The icy goodness of the red slush felt like heaven as it flowed down her throat. She paced by building after building, humming a tune she couldn't get out of her head.<p>

Just as she was passing by another building, in the corner of her eye she saw a bulletin board with a poster that seemed to catch her attention. She immediately stopped dead in her tracks, dropping her slushy to the ground. She sped back to the bulletin board, nearly tripping over herself. Written on the top of the poster recited the words, 'MISSING FOAL'. Trixie glanced at the picture before skimming down the text written below it.

"Lalala...missing filly, lalala...safe return, lalala...will be rewarded," Trixie zoned out for a moment, taking a step back, "One hundred thousand bits!" She was speechless. She couldn't take her eyes off the poster.

She looked back up at the picture which now seemed to tease her. In the deepest corners of her subconscious all she could think of was that pink filly that she had seen earlier. That pink filly with the purple and white mane and a cutie mark that bore the exact image of the very tiara she wore.

She could see her so clearly. It was her; it had to be her. Although Trixie's mind was all over the place, she found her hooves already running back the way she came. When she was finally able to think, she came to an instant stop at the curve, looking in every which direction for the hundred thousand bit filly.

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><p>With the day flying by and the sun starting to set, the once bright city was becoming dim. Diamond hadn't taken into consideration as to where she was planning on staying during her trip, making her more frantic than ever to find shelter.<p>

She had no idea where she was going or even how to get back. Every street looked the same, no matter which direction she went. It was a maze with no end.

As she ran down yet another identical looking street, she found herself being tripped by a pony she hadn't noticed. She fell to the ground first face, her forward momentum only adding to her pain. However, before she could get up, she was surrounded by three teenage stallions.

The one pony was a Unicorn with a purple coat and a light green mane. The other two were both Pegasi. The one Pegasus had a white coat and a grayish silver mane, while the other had an orange coat and a red mane.

"Oh, hello little filly," said the orange Pegasus. "You know it's quite unsafe to be wandering the streets all by your lonesome."

"I can take care of myself just fine," she retorted, as she got off the ground.

"I wouldn't be so sure of yourself if I were you," added the purple Unicorn.

"Well you're not me. Now if you excuse me, I will be on my way." She tried to run forward, only for the orange Pegasus to bite down on her tail and drag her back into the circle.

"What's your rush little filly? We were just starting to have some fun," said the white Pegasus.

"Leave me alone."

"Oh, we'll leave you alone, but first let's see what's in that little bag of yours," responded the purple Unicorn as he quickly snatched the bag away from her.

"Give that back!"

"Or what? Are you going to use your incredible Earth Pony powers?" Ignoring her demand, the stallion opened the bag and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice sum of bits. "Well, looky here. That's quite a lot of money for a little filly."

"It's my money. Give it back."

"You know I'm starting to get really annoyed by this little brat."

"Brat?" Shouted Diamond.

"So what do we do with her?" asked the white Pegasus.

"Hmm, let's see. Oh I got an idea."

The ponies walked over towards an open dumpster by the side of the nearby building, and the unicorn used his magic to levitate Diamond over it. Unable to escape she closed her eyes, bracing herself to fall into the garbage below. The only noise that could be heard was a soft thump as Diamond hit the bottom of the dumpster.

"Enjoy your new home," said the orange Pegasus, as he kicked the front of the dumpster, causing the lid to slam shut. The three ponies then seized Diamond's bag, laughing as they quickly scurried away.

For a few minutes Diamond remained still, lying on a couple of garbage bags. The dumpster unsurprisingly was cold, damp, and with the lid shut it was completely pitch black.

Diamond felt her eyes begin to water up, but she tried to hold back her tears. She sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

She got back up on her hooves, and tried to push the lid open. At first she found it almost impossible to lift the lid, but once she put all of her strength into it, she was finally able to free herself.

Swiftly she jumped out of the dumpster, just as the lid had slammed shut again. Her jump from the dumpster caused her to fall a few feet to the ground, but she didn't seem to care. She just got right back up and slowly roamed down the street once more.

* * *

><p>With word spreading about the missing filly, crowds of ponies had gathered around the many posters all across Equestria. While some ponies were saddened by the news, others were more focused on the reward.<p>

It wasn't long, however, before the ponies began to depart from the area. Soon the entire crowd had left, aside from two ponies who continued to study the picture.

The one pony was a female Earth Pony with a beige coat and a brownish red mane. She had a cutie mark of an envelope with a stamp on the top right corner. The envelope wasn't white, but instead a grayish black.

The pony standing beside her was a male Unicorn with a white coat and a dark blue mane. He had a cutie mark that bore the image of a small, gray magnifying loupe that was similar to the one attached to the right side of his glasses.

"Isn't she just adorable?" said the mare.

"Quite," replied the stallion. "It's so unfortunate."

"Her parents must be so worried about her to make such a generous offer."

"That reward could make for a nice sum of bits, indeed."

"Definitely, but I had another thing in mind."

"Oh, what might that be?"

"A hundred thousand bits is nice, but it's only so much. I think this filly could be worth much more."

"What are you suggesting, Shady?"

"I'm thinking we can make a two maybe three hundred thousand on this filly. Heck, if we push our luck maybe even five hundred thousand. The only problem is finding her."

"I don't think it will be too difficult."

"Do you have any suggestions as to where we should start looking?"

"Oh, I may have a hunch as to where she might be."

"Well then, maybe we should pay her a little visit."

"I was thinking the same thing."

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><p>With the sun finally setting, Diamond was now completely lost in the cold dark city. The very city she thought was beautiful by day brought her nothing but nightmares now. With every sound she heard, she felt as though somepony was watching her. It made her want to run faster, but she couldn't help but look back every couple of seconds.<p>

She had no money, no food, and nowhere to stay. Manehattan wasn't what she had hoped it would be.

With nowhere else to go, she wandered down a back alley. The alley was cluttered with torn-up newspapers, broken bottles, and cardboard boxes. It felt so lifeless here. It almost brought Diamond to tears seeing this place, this dreadful place she never wanted to be in.

Diamond continued forward, stepping around the broken glass. She kept moving until she reached an empty cardboard box beside one of the brick walls. She let out a soft sigh and gradually crawled inside it, after which she collapsed to the ground.

She always heard stories about poor ponies living in cardboard boxes and probably would have laughed at them in the past. She just never thought she would be this low in her entire life.

She grabbed a nearby newspaper and tried to use it as a blanket, hoping to keep warm as best she could. How she missed her nice warm bed back in Ponyville.

"So, this is my first day in the big city," spoke Diamond quietly to herself.

Gradually she shut her eyes, trying to escape this nightmare in her dreams, but her head was crowded with the same question that kept repeating over and over: Why did I come here? But no matter how many times she asked herself that question, she always came up with the same result.

She lay there for what felt like an eternity. Even trying to sleep seemed too troublesome. But as the minutes ticked away, Diamond finally began to drift away into the only place she felt happy.


	3. Day 2

**Day 2**

The trotting of hooves woke Diamond from her slumber. She opened her eyes and saw a group of foals staring at her. She felt a little startled at first, but she still managed to get up to face them.

One of the fillies stepped ahead of the rest of the group. She had a light orange coat and an azure mane. She appeared to be a little younger than Diamond, as she had not yet attained her cutie mark.

"Aw, you're awake," spoke the filly, with a light Brooklyn accent. "When we found you, we figured you were dead."

"Well thanks for your concern, but I'm fine."

"We weren't really that concerned. We run into newbies all the time."

"Newbie? What makes you think that I'm new here?"

"Come on, you were a dead giveaway the first second we saw you, what with your cutesy little crown." She then proceeded to swipe Diamond's tiara right off her head. "Only some outside pony would wear something as tacky as this."

"Hey, give that back, right now!" Diamond Tiara shouted.

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so, you blank flank."

The filly's playful smirk faded, dropping Diamond's tiara to the ground. She took a step back trying her best to conceal her lack of a cutie mark. She directed her sights back on Diamond, her eyes now flowing with rage.

"Okay you stupid newbie, since you seem to not know your place here, we'll be more than happy teach you." The filly took a couple of steps closer to Diamond, as the rest of the group followed shortly behind.

With each step they took Diamond took another step back, until she was up against the brick wall behind her. She lay hidden beneath the shadows, as they cornered her like a predator ready to strike upon their prey.

Just when Diamond thought she was in a hopeless situation, luck just happened to be on her side. A loud bang of what sounded like a hoof striking the side of a steel dumpster caught their attention. The gang turned around to face a lone filly that was standing just outside of the alley.

"Get away from her," said the filly. Her accent was much thicker than the others.

"This is none of your business, so get lost," remarked the lead filly.

"You're the one that's going to be leaving."

"And why is that?"

"Remember what happened last time you stuck your nose where it didn't belong? I'm sure your friends do." The foals behind the leader all took a couple of steps back. "You're out of your area Tiff, and you know exactly what will happen if you stay."

The lead filly glared around at the rest of her gang and then back to filly in front of her. She let out a soft sigh and said, "Fine, we'll go."

The gang quickly departed from the alley, forgetting their conflict with Diamond. As the rest of the foals vanished from sight, the lead filly glanced back at the other filly.

"You really need to take my advice sometime. One of these days you're going to get yourself seriously hurt if you keep trying to be the hero." After she finished speaking, the filly ran off to catch up with her companions.

As soon as they had departed, the filly entered the alley. She couldn't quite see Diamond, just a concealed figure hidden in the shadows. The filly stopped about halfway to her, and looked down at the tiara on the ground. After examining it for a couple of seconds, one name seemed to sparkle in her mind, "Diamond? Diamond Tiara? Is that you?"

Confused as to how this filly knew her name, Diamond slowly walked out of the shadows. Once she was in plain sight of the filly she felt a sudden jolt of anger creep down her spine, "B-Babs!"

"Diamond, what are you doing here?"

Diamond stood her ground, trying to act as commanding as she could. "I don't think that's any of your business." With her head held high, she walked past Babs and out of the alley.

Babs followed quickly behind her. "You can drop the act. I'm not buying it."

"What act?"

"That you're trying to look tough, after I obviously saved your flank."

"You save me? Yeah right. I could have handled those foals with ease. That filly was like a year younger than either of us."

"Things work differently here than they do in Ponyville."

"Well, that's no concern to me."

"So why are you in Manehattan? Are you on a trip with Daddy?"

"For your information, I'm here by myself."

"What do you mean by yourself?"

"I mean, no one else is with me, duh."

"Wait, do you mean you, ran away?"

"That's right. I don't need anyone to take care of me."

"But you don't know anything about the city."

"Either way, I don't care. Well, it was nice bumping into you again. Actually, no it wasn't, so see ya."

Babs looked away for a second and then focused back on Diamond. She was certain that Diamond wouldn't be able to take care of herself, and as much as she didn't like her, she still didn't want to see her get hurt. She sighed softly and started walking forward.

It wasn't long before Diamond began to notice Babs trailing just a few feet behind her, but she decided to just ignore her and move on. She started to move at a faster pace, hoping to gain distance from her. But even then Babs kept up. After growing immensely irritated, she came to a quick stop.

"Why are you following me?" She didn't even bother turning around.

"Hmm, no reason."

"What, you think I can't take care of myself?"

"Something like that."

"Hey, just because I'm rich doesn't mean I don't know anything about the city."

"It's that boastful attitude of yours, that's what going to get you hurt."

"Wow, ever since you joined the crusaders, you've really become a goody two-shoes."

"Actually, I always found myself helping other foals long before I even went to Ponyville. That's usually why I ended up getting bullied a lot."

"Well, I don't need you protecting me. I know everything about being street-smart."

"Sure you do."

"I would do so much better than Apple Bloom, that's for sure."

"Hey, Apple Bloom would be just fine."

"Come on, she is a country filly. What does she know about the city?"

"Okay fine, let's just say it's Scootaloo?"

"Hmm, okay I'll give you that one. Scootaloo would be much better off than Apple Bloom. But how about what's her name-Sweetie Belle?" Right as she made her suggestion, they both found themselves simultaneously snickering.

"I don't know." Babs was trying her hardest not to laugh, seeing as how Sweetie Belle was a dear friend of hers.

Diamond Tiara on the other hand was practically in tears from the mere thought of Sweetie Belle wandering blindly through the city. "Sweetie Belle... Sweetie Belle would follow the first pony to offer her candy."

Babs stopped snickering and glared over at Diamond. "Alright stop. They're my friends, and I'm not going to let you insult them."

"Whatever." Diamond then continued down the sidewalk with Babs again following right behind her.

* * *

><p>Back in Ponyville, at Sugarcube Corner, was a lone gray filly, sitting at the table at the far end of the building. Upon the table in front of her stood two large milkshakes. One was vanilla and the other one on the opposite end of the table was chocolate. She had barely even taken a sip of her own. She was just watching the whipped cream melt away. Impassively she stared at her milkshake, the only time she looked away was when she would glance over at the empty chair in front of her.<p>

With her mind filled with worry over her missing friend, she didn't seem to notice that a trio of fillies was now standing right beside her table. When she did finally look over, she wasn't too surprised to see that it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Hey Silver, I know you're upset about Diamond," said Sweetie Belle in a soft voice. "But I'm sure she's okay."

Silver Spoon did not care to respond. She just looked away from the trio and stared back at her milkshake. After a couple of seconds, she left her table, walking right past the trio and only stopping when she was halfway to the exit.

"I honestly don't care what you have to say, so how about you just leave me alone, losers." After finishing her sentence, Silver Spoon left Sugarcube Corner and made her way home. The Cutie Mark Crusaders continued to just stand in their exact position, a little upset that their comforting didn't go as smoothly as they had hoped.

* * *

><p>As they proceeded down yet another block, Diamond slowed down when she noticed a stand selling fruit. The fruit stand was stacked from top to bottom with an abundant of delicious and ripe fruit.<p>

Diamond eyed the bright, red apples stacked on the stand. She placed her one hoof on her stomach, feeling as though she hadn't eaten in days.

"So Diamond, why did you run away from home?"

"Let's just say I'm looking for somepony and leave it at that."

"Alright, fine."

Diamond glanced at the apples again. "Hey, allow me to show you how much of a street gang hoodster I am."

Hearing Diamond's statement caused Babs to press her hoof up against her face.

Diamond slowly crept up to the fruit stand, and the second the vendor was looking away she swiped an apple. Without hesitation, she devoured the apple down to the core, consuming as though she were a piranha.

"Gee Diamond, you really are so bad. I should probably warn the Princesses about you."

"Hey, I can be just as crime-ridden as anyone else in this stupid city."

"Stealing is not going to make you fit in."

"Then what will?"

"Nothing! You're a snobby, rich filly who's trying to act like you're from the streets."

"So, what's your point?"

"That is my point!"

Diamond, growing bored of her lecture, proceeded back down the sidewalk once more. Babs followed beside her, still trying to get her words to sink into Diamond's thick skull. They continued for a couple more blocks. After a few minutes, Diamond started to hear what sounded like her name being mentioned among the crowds. It sounded like a whisper, but it was so clear to her. She spun her head around, looking back as though somepony was following them.

Curious of what Diamond was looking at, Babs asked, "What's wrong?"

"I-I thought I heard something."

"You're just being paranoid."

Diamond tried to ignore the voices, believing that they might just be in her mind. But she couldn't help but to listen. Everypony they passed by sounded like they were talking about her.

"Can't you hear them?"

"No, I didn't hear a thing."

For a moment, Babs remained skeptical, but her denial started to fade as she thought she saw somepony following them. Every time she looked back, the ponies were just going about their business. But once she faced the opposite direction, she could swear that they were right behind them again.

Babs moved close to Diamond, whispering in her ear, "Diamond, I think you might be right."

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting out of here."

Babs examined the area to find safe place to go and in her sights she saw the lush, green park just up ahead. "Just follow me, okay."

Once they reached the end of the block they made a quick cut across the street and ran into the park. They ducked behind the bushes and quietly waited until all the ponies had left. When the coast was clear, they crept from the bushes and ran deeper into the park.

"What do you think those ponies wanted with us?" asked Babs.

"Us? You're the troublemaker here."

"It was your name they were saying."

"Oh, right."

"Okay, let's get out of here."

They spun around to run, only to come face to face with another pony that had snuck up on them. He was a male Earth Pony with a scuffled up mane. He looked as though he hadn't showered in months. It was hard to tell whether he was homeless or had just escaped from a mental hospital.

"Ooh, looks like I got the pink filly," said the pony as he reached to pick up Diamond.

Thinking fast, she jumped back before the pony could grab her. The two then made a run for it as the pony chased after them.

"Hey Pinkie, don't run. I just want to capture you."

Even though they were managing to outrun this pony, the commotion started to attract the attention of many others in the area.

"Look, it's her, it's the hundred thousand bit filly!" shouted one pony, which caused more ponies to rush to the scene. Terror consumed the two fillies, as they now found themselves being surrounded by what looked to be well over a hundred ponies.

With no time to think the two sped off, hoping to escape the galloping swarm behind them. They ran as fast as their little legs could carry them.

In the distance they could see the park's gate, but unfortunately as they got closer they were cut off by another group of ponies. Swiftly they ran in the only direction that they could go, but no matter how fast they ran the ponies still managed to catch up.

As they continued forward, they had reached a small hill in the middle of the park. However, before they could proceed down, they were ambushed by another pony who managed to grasp Diamond Tiara's mane.

His victory was short lived, as Babs immediately lunged herself towards them, freeing Diamond and sending them both tumbling down the hillside.

The mob of ponies had now reached the top of the hill and saw the two fillies down below. They descended down the hill after them, just as Babs and Diamond got off the ground, and the chase continued.

With the hillside giving them a slight lead, it seemed as though they might make some distance between them. But that felt like wishful thinking, as Diamond found herself slowing down until reaching a dead stop. She felt like she had no control over her own body.

She continued to run in place as fast as she could, but still wasn't moving an inch. Her hooves were now drifting from the ground itself, in a matter of seconds she was levitating in the air.

The aura of magic that now consumed her slowly began to drag her back towards the mob of ponies. Seeing Diamond's dilemma, Babs quickly jolted back to try and reach her, unfortunately she was blocked off by the swarm, which was now assembling itself around Diamond.

Before she could blink, Diamond had disappeared and what now lay ahead of her was a large gathering of ponies all fighting over her. Trotting, kicking, pushing, shoving, it was a feeding frenzy.

Babs took a step back, not sure what to do at this point. Yet in the back of her mind one idea was flickering. She was already regretting having to do this, but she knew she had no other choice. She took a deep breath, and with one mighty leap, she dived into the swarm, as though it were a swimming pool.

Staggering through the ponies wasn't easy, and searching for Diamond made it even more troublesome. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She could feel ponies shoving her in every direction, to the point that she could hardly breathe. She felt like she was drowning, drowning in a pool of ponies.

Moving onwards, she at long last spotted a cutie mark that had the image of a tiara. She watched as Diamond was being fought over by everypony that could reach her. It seemed like she was meat being served to a clan of starving hyenas.

Without a second thought, Babs pounced at Diamond's location, breaking the ponies' hold, and throwing them both just outside of the mob.

Finally free and without a second to waste, they dashed as fast as they could towards the steel fence surrounding the park. They lunged at the fence, hastily climbed to the top, knowing they only had a few seconds before the mob arrived.

As the mob finally caught up, they attempted to grab them. Luckily for the duo, they managed to make it to the other side, before they could reach them. The two then jumped off the steel fence and ran back into the city streets.

One by one the mob of ponies followed behind them, continuing their chase down the sidewalks. They ran down the first block, keeping a slight distance from the mob. Once they had turned the corner down the next street, they quickly ducked into the nearest alley, and hid on the far side of a dumpster. Just out of sight, they watched as the mob scampered by.

Once the mob had vanished into the distance, Babs quietly popped her head out and observed the area until she thought it was safe to leave.

"Okay, I think they're gone," said Babs.

Feeling that they were finally out of harm's way, the two took a moment to catch their breath. Afterwards they journeyed deeper into the back alley, knowing it was safer here than on the streets.

They proceeded down the alleyway, trying to be as quiet as they could be. Babs gazed over at Diamond. She could see that she was still a little shaken up. It wasn't difficult to tell that this was probably one of the scariest moments in Diamond's life.

They turned corner after corner, only to at last reach a straightaway, which they hoped would lead them out of here. It was only when they had moved a few feet forward that a figure appeared from the shadows, cutting off their path. The figure was that of a mare with a beige coat and a brownish red mane. The mare gave them a playful smile as they stopped dead in their tracks.

They slowly backed away from her, only to bump into another pony that was now blocking off the only other exit they had. Diamond and Babs turned around to face a stallion that had a white coat and a dark blue mane. Keeping their distance from the two ponies, they moved to the middle of the alley.

Trying to ignoring her fear for a moment, Diamond attempted to speak up, "Who are you?"

"Aw yes, I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Dr. Clear." He then pointed his hoof towards the mare behind them. "This is my associate, Shady Deal."

"What do you want with us?" asked Babs.

"With you nothing. We only seek the pink one."

"The name's Diamond," she snapped.

"Oh, I know that, my dear. Now, we hope that you will come with us nice and calmly. It seems you've already had a rough day as it is."

Diamond looked over at Babs, than back to Dr. Clear. "I'll handle this," she whispered to Babs as she walked up to the stallion in front of her.

"Wait, Diamond," said Babs.

Diamond ignored her plea and continued forward, until she was nearly face to face with him. She stood up straight, and with an ominous glare she began to speak.

"I'm going to ask you one time and only one time, so listen carefully. Move out of our way right now."

A friendly smirk appeared on his face. "Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing?"

Diamond's eye started to twitch. If there was one thing she hated, it was being talked down to. "Don't mock me, you have no idea who I am and what I am truly capable of."

"Yes, I can imagine. You're such a tough little filly, aren't you?" He began to tease her even more, as he placed his right hoof on the top of her head, messing up her mane. As he removed his hoof, his expression rapidly changed from a lighthearted smirk to a sadistic grin.

Without even a moment to react, Diamond felt his hoof strike her right across the face, bringing her tough attitude to a whimper. The mere sight was enough to cause Babs' jaw to drop to the ground. Even Shady couldn't help but flinch from that sudden strike.

Diamond's courage had now completely vanished. She took a step back. But, before she could move back any farther, her mane was yanked up into the air. He held her tightly in his hoof, dangling from the ground. She was now mere inches from his face. At this point she could see her own frightened reflection in the lenses of his glasses.

He continued to stare at the terrified filly, gently brushing his right hoof across her face. "You have such beautiful eyes." Diamond tried to look away, but she couldn't. She was too afraid to even shut her eyes.

Babs couldn't stand to watch him torment her any longer. She felt as though her head was about to burst. In a blind fury, she pounced at them, biting Dr. Clear's hoof.

Her unexpected attack caused him to released Diamond, dropping her to the ground. Dr. Clear attempted to fling her off, but Babs held on with all her might. Unfortunately, she could only hold out for so long before she lost her grip. Babs was then flung against the brick wall, which knocked her out cold.

"Babs!" cried Diamond. She tried to run to her, only to be cut off by Dr. Clear, whose glare now seemed almost demonic.

"Where are you going, little filly?" snapped Dr. Clear.

With no other option, Diamond raced back down the alleyway with Dr. Clear pursuing her as she ran.

Once the two were out of sight, Shady Deal slowly proceeded forward. She looked down at the injured filly, letting out a soft sigh. After which she ran onward, following in the direction Diamond Tiara and Dr. Clear had gone.

Babs felt her breath return to her. Leisurely she opened her eyes. She took a breath of air and slowly got up off the ground. She felt a sharp pain in shoulder, but tried her best to ignore it, knowing there wasn't much time to waste. Hastily she ran off, going in a different direction than the others went.

Diamond's eyes were drenched in tears, as she ran in any direction she could go. At this point it didn't matter where she went, as long as she got away from the ponies that were chasing her.

With a variety of routes all leading in different directions, it allowed Diamond to temporarily escape them. But even out of sight, she could still hear their hooves echoing behind her. Her heart was beating rapidly, but she pressed on. She knew what awaited her if they were to catch up.

Frequently, she would look back to see if they were still on her tail. When she didn't see or hear from them, she thought she may have lost them. With the moment at hand, she decided to stop and catch her breath. Aside from her pounding heartbeat, all was silent.

She rested against the brick wall beside her for a brief moment to recover. Her rest, however, was soon interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps in the distance.

Diamond slightly poked her head out, looking to see if anyone was coming her way. Feeling nervous, she began to walk backwards, trying to keep an eye out for them. She took several more steps, but as she neared the corner, she felt a hoof wrap around her head, covering her mouth. Her panic was cut short when she heard the voice of a Brooklyn-accented filly telling her to relax.

"This way," Babs whispered.

They roamed through the empty alley, making sure to be as quiet as they possible could. It wasn't long before they were at last able to see a light that revealed a way out. Forgetting about being quiet, they dashed towards the exit as fast as they could.

Just as Dr. Clear and Shady Deal had turned the corner, they spotted the two fillies running to the exit.

"There's my girl." said Dr. Clear, racing towards them.

"Crap, they found us?" said Diamond Tiara.

While Diamond was focus on the ponies behind them, Babs was just glancing over at Diamond. After a couple of seconds she finally spoke, "Okay, let's split up."

"What? How's that going to help?"

"Trust me. I think I have an idea."

Both Dr. Clear and Shady Deal had reached the end exit just a few seconds after Babs and Diamond left. They stopped and looked around for the fillies. Off to their right they saw what looked like one of fillies running down the sidewalk, but from the distance it was difficult to tell who it was. They were about to chase after her, when they caught a glimpse of Diamond's tiara moving just ahead of them. The tiara was reflecting off the sunlight, casting a luminously shine.

"There she is," remarked Shady.

The two ponies continued their pursuit, refusing to let her escape. They followed the shine of the Diamond's tiara, which was now heading back into the park.

With all attention on the one filly, the other had now made further into the city. She was blazing down the streets, passing anyone that dared to stand in her way. She looked back, seeing if anyone was following her. She wanted to stop, but her legs refused to.

When she had faced forward again, she found herself running right into a large bag that had mysteriously appeared. Once she was completely inside, the bag was sealed shut, entrapping her in complete darkness. As much as she struggled to break free, her efforts proved futile.

The two ponies were closing in on the radiant tiara, which was now approaching a small stone wall. As the filly neared the stone wall, she jumped over it, only to immediately come to a stop on the other side. The two ponies stopped as well. The stone wall was slightly taller than the filly. The only thing that could be seen was the tiara that ascended just above it.

They approached the filly, however, once they were only a couple of feet away, the filly came out from hiding and climbed up on top of the stone wall. To their surprise the filly that now stood before them was not Diamond, but instead Babs Seed wearing her tiara.

"Looking for somepony?" asked Babs in a seductive manner.

"You'll be wise to tell us where she is?" said Dr. Clear.

"Oh what, am I not good enough for you?"

"Where is she?"

"I'd say she's probably on the other side of the city by now. But at least we had fun, right? I know I did. So, see ya." Babs hastily hopped off the stone wall and ran further into the park.

Shady Deal seemed ready to chase her down, but she was stopped by Dr. Clear. "Forget about her. She's worthless. We need to find the pink filly."

"It may take longer than we had planned," remarked Shady Deal.

"Don't worry, sooner or later she's going to slip up, and when she does, we'll make sure she pays greatly for her disobedience."

* * *

><p>Diamond, still trapped in the bag was feeling a little lightheaded. She felt like she was running low on air. She was at the very least grateful that she was no longer moving, giving her a chance to settle down.<p>

Her feelings of entrapment were cleansed, however, when she noticed a light appearing in the darkness that surrounded her. She shifted her body towards the light, trying to see what existed on the other side. She placed her hoof against the light, slowly she beginning to tear away at the fabric that imprisoned her until she was able to emerge from the darkness and into the light.

Even though she was free from her captivity, she still found herself in a strange building she had never seen before. She studied the building's surroundings. It seemed like she was in somepony's home.

"H-Hello? Is anyone there?" said Diamond, as she continued to look around. Mere seconds following her response, a pony emerged from the next room. "W-who are you?"

The pony leisurely walked up to her, now revealing a female Unicorn with blue coat. "Trixie, the great and powerful."

Diamond stared at her moment before saying, "Who?"

"Trixie. You know the famous showmare."

"I don't..."

"The most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria!"

"I always thought that was Rarity."

"Rarity? Don't you mean Twilight?"

"So, Twilight's the most powerful Unicorn."

"Precisely. No wait, Trixie is the most power... You know what? Just be quiet."

"So, what exactly do all you ponies want with me?"

"Oh, you haven't heard." Trixie quickly grabbed one of the fliers off the table next to them and placed it on the ground in front of Diamond. "Your father offered a huge reward for your return."

"Hmm, a hundred thousand bits, that seems kind of, small."

"Maybe you would think that, but to Trixie it's a goldmine."

"So, where actually are we?"

"You are at Trixie's apartment."

"Why would a famous showmare live in a dump like this?"

"Trixie finds it to be perfectly satisfying."

"Whatever you say, showmare."

Trixie rolled her eyes and glanced over at the clock. "Well I think it's starting to get late. How about we call it a night? After all, we have a busy day tomorrow."

"I-I..."

"Unless you wish to go back out there on your own." Diamond looked away from Trixie and over at the front door. "Trixie can imagine this city can be quite frightening for a filly all by her lonesome."

Diamond softly sighed and turned back around to face Trixie. "So what do you say, Diamond? Would you like a nice, safe place to stay for the night? Then tomorrow Trixie take you home."

Although Diamond did not say a word, her expression was enough of a response to give Trixie the answer she was hoping for.

"Alright then, Trixie invites you to sleep on the couch right here." Diamond looked at Trixie; the very idea of sleeping on a couch was not to satisfying for Diamond's liking, but she decided not to argue.

"Pleasant dreams, little filly," said Trixie.

Trixie stood there for a moment, waiting for Diamond to shut her eyes. As soon she was certain that Diamond was asleep, she left the area and went to her own bedroom.

Diamond lay still on the couch for over an hour pretending to be asleep. She waited patiently until she heard the faint sound of snoring coming from Trixie's room. With Trixie finally asleep, Diamond silently got to her hooves and crept to the door.

She placed her hoof on the doorknob, but she instead stopped herself before she could open the door. The terrors she had encountered along her journey filled her mind. The idea of spending another night out in cold city street was more than she could bear.

Having a change of heart, she released the doorknob and crept back towards the couch. She climbed back up and rested her weary head on the arm of the couch once again. It may not have been all that comfortable, but it was at least slightly better than sleeping in a cardboard box.


End file.
